My Mother’s Peasant Bread: The Best Easiest Bread You Will Ever Make
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This is the no-knead bread recipe my mother has been baking for 45 years. Start to finish, it can be ready in three hours. It bakes in well-buttered Pyrex bowls — no need to preheat a baking vessel for this recipe — and it emerges golden and crisp with a soft, tender crumb. 🍞🍞🍞🍞🍞
When I tell you that, if forced, I had to pick one and only one recipe to share with you that this — my mother’s peasant bread — would be it, I am serious. I would almost in fact be OK ending the blog after this very post, retiring altogether from the wonderful world of food blogging, resting assured that you all had this knowledge at hand. This bread might just change your life.
The reason I say this is simple. I whole-heartedly believe that if you know how to make bread you can throw one hell of a dinner party. And the reason for this is because people go insane over homemade bread. Not once have I served this bread to company without being asked, “Did you really make this?” And questioned: “You mean with a bread machine?” But always praised: “Is there anything more special than homemade bread?”
And upon tasting homemade bread, people act as if you’re some sort of culinary magician. I would even go so far as to say that with homemade bread on the table along with a few nice cheeses and a really good salad, the main course almost becomes superfluous. If you nail it, fantastic. If you don’t, you have more than enough treats to keep people happy all night long.
The Magic of the Peasant Bread
So what, you probably are wondering, makes this bread so special when there are so many wonderful bread recipes out there? Again, the answer is simple. For one, it’s a no-knead bread. I know, I know. There are two wildly popular no-knead bread recipes out there.
But unlike the others, this is a no-knead bread that can be started at 4:00pm and turned out onto the dinner table at 7:00pm. It bakes in well-buttered Pyrex bowls — there is no pre-heating of the baking vessels in this recipe — and it emerges golden and crisp without any steam pans or water spritzes. This is not artisan bread, nor is it trying to be. It is peasant bread, spongy and moist with a most-delectable buttery crust.
Genuinely, I would be proud to serve this bread at a dinner party attended by Jim Lahey, Mark Bittman, Peter Reinhart, Chad Robertson, Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. It is a bread I hope you will all give a go, too, and then proudly serve at your next dinner party to guests who might ask where you’ve stashed away your bread machine. And when this happens, I hope you will all just smile and say, “Don’t be silly. This is just a simple peasant bread. Easy as pie. I’ll show you how to make it some day.”
Peasant Bread Variations
Once you master the peasant bread, you can make any bread your heart desires — this simple no-knead bread recipe is the foundation of many of the other bread recipes on this site, namely this hugely popular overnight refrigerator focaccia and this simple homemade pizza dough. It’s even the inspiration behind this sourdough focaccia and this sourdough sandwich bread and this simple pita bread recipe.
The below post is organized as follows:
- How to Make Peasant Bread, Step by Step
- The Best Way to Store Bread
- Peasant Bread Dinner Rolls
- Peasant Bread Sandwich Bread
- How to Add Seeds and Nuts to Bread Dough
- How to Make Gluten-Free Peasant Bread
- How to Coat the Loaves in Seeds
- How to use Whole Wheat Flour
- How to Bake the Peasant Bread in a Dutch Oven
Many more variations on the peasant bread can be found in my cookbook, Bread Toast Crumbs:
Bread Toast Crumbs
Love the peasant bread? There’s now a book filled with 40 simple bread recipes plus 70 recipes to use up every crumb of every loaf you bake.
How to Make Peasant Bread, Step by Step
First: You need yeast.
This is the yeast I buy exclusively: SAF Instant Yeast. Instant yeast can be whisked into the flour directly without any blooming or proofing. If you want to stick to active-dry yeast, there are instructions in the recipe notes on how to do so. Red Star yeast is great.
Whisk together flour, salt, sugar, and instant yeast. Add lukewarm water.
Mix until you have a sticky dough ball. Let it rise for 1.5 to 2 hours…
… or until it looks like this:
Punch down the dough using two forks.
Then split the dough down the middle again using the two forks.
Because this is a very wet dough, it must be baked in an oven-proof bowl. I am partial to the Pyrex 1L 322 size, but any similarly sized oven-proof bowl will work.
Butter the bowls well; then transfer half of the dough to each prepared bow.
Let the dough rise again until it crowns the rim of the bowl, about 30 minutes.
Transfer the bowls to the oven to bake:
This bread is irresistible when it’s freshly baked, but it also makes wonderful toast on subsequent mornings as well as the best grilled cheese. It’s also my favorite bread to use for these egg salad sandwiches and for this no-tuna “tuna” salad.
The Best Way to Store Bread
If you want to store the bread at room temperature for 3 to 4 days, I think the best method is in a ziplock bag. I’ve tried other eco-friendly options, but nothing seems to keep bread freshest — the crumb the softest — better than a ziplock bag. You can re-use the bags again and again.
If you intend to keep the bread for longer, I would freeze it. I often slice bread as soon as it cools completely, transfer the slices to a ziplock bag, then freeze. This way, I know the bread was frozen at its freshest.
A ziplock bag will not prevent the crust of bread from turning soft, which is why I suggest always reheating day-old bread. I use a toaster at breakfast for slices of bread, and I reheat half or quarter loaves in the oven at 350ºF for 15 to 20 minutes when serving for dinner.
Bread revives so beautifully in the oven or toaster.
No-Knead Dinner Rolls
To use the peasant bread dough to make rolls, simply divide the dough into smaller portions and place in a buttered muffin tin as in these No-Knead Thyme Dinner Rolls (pictured above). This recipe for no-knead buttermilk pull-apart rolls is also based on the peasant bread as are these brioche pull-apart rolls.
No-Knead Sandwich Bread
To make sandwich bread, multiply the recipe below by 1.5 and bake the bread in two buttered 8.5×4.5-inch loaf pans.
Made with half all-purpose flour and half King Arthur Sprouted Wheat Flour, these seed-coated sandwich loaves (pictured above) have a soft and light crumb. I really like KAF’s sprouted wheat flour, which is made from white whole wheat berries that, when sprouted, yield a creamy, sweet, milder-tasting flour. You can use 100% all-purpose or bread flour for an even lighter loaf or your favorite whole wheat flour in place of the sprouted wheat flour.
How to Add Nuts and Seeds to Bread Dough
To add seeds and nuts (or dried fruit and cheese), simply stir them into the dry ingredients. This recipe for Quinoa-and-Flax Toasting Bread will offer guidance on how much to add.
How to Make a Gluten-Free Peasant Bread
Making gluten-free peasant bread (pictured above) unfortunately isn’t as simple as swapping in gluten-free flour for the wheat flour. But the process and recipe is still super simple — in fact, because there’s only one rise, many people find the gluten-free peasant bread to be even simpler than the original. Find the recipe here: Gluten-Free Peasant Bread
How to Coat the Loaves in Seeds
To coat the peasant bread in seeds, as pictured above, simply coat the bowls with everything bagel seasoning or with dukkah or sesame seeds or whatever seed mix you wish. The seed-coated loaves look so beautiful, and it’s amazing how much the flavor of the coating permeates the loaves. Find the recipe here: Everything Bagel Seasoning Peasant Bread
How to Use Whole Wheat Flour
To use whole wheat flour in the peasant bread, simply replace as much as 50% of the all-purpose flour with your favorite whole wheat flour: I like KAF’s sprouted wheat flour, and I’ve been loving the Cairnsprings Mill Trailblazer stone-milled flour. With the Trailblazer, I can use up to 75% of it in the peasant bread, and it yields a beautiful, chewy texture as well as a lovely flavor and aroma.
When using whole wheat flour, you may have to use more or less water — there is no rule as to how much more or less, and it will take some trial and error to get right because all flours absorb water differently. When I use KAF sprouted wheat flour, for example, I don’t change the water amount at all. When I use the Trailblazer flour, on the other hand, I reduce the water by at least 50 grams.
If you’d like to learn more about whole wheat flour and stone-milled flours, read this: Easy Sourdough Bread (Whole Wheat-ish)
How to Bake the Peasant Bread in a Dutch Oven
If you’re looking for more of a crackling crusted boule (characteristic of a loaf of sourdough bread) as opposed to the buttery crispness of the peasant bread, you can bake the peasant bread dough in a preheated Dutch oven.
There are detailed instructions below the recipe in the notes section, but one thing to keep in mind before you begin is dough hydration. The peasant bread is a very high hydration dough, meaning there is a lot of water relative to flour. Because baking the peasant bread in a Dutch oven will require some handling of the dough — to shape it into a round and to create some tension — you may want to reduce the water from the start. Consider holding back 20-30 grams of water to make the process more manageable for you.
My Mother’s Peasant Bread: The Best Easiest Bread You Will Ever Make
- Total Time: 2 hours 27 minutes
- Yield: 2 loaves
Description
Notes:
The bread:
This is a sticky, no-knead dough, so, some sort of baking vessel, such as pyrex bowls (you need two 1-qt bowls) or ramekins for mini loaves is required to bake this bread. See notes below the recipe for sources. You can use a bowl that is about 2 qt or 2 L in size to bake off the whole batch of dough (versus splitting the dough in half) but do not use this size for baking half of the dough — it is too big.
Peasant Bread Fans! There is now a book: Bread Toast Crumbs, a loaf-to-crumb bread baking book, filled with tips and tricks and answers to the many questions that have been asked over the years. In the book you will find 40 variations of the master peasant bread recipe + 70 recipes for using up the many loaves you will bake. Learn more about the book here or buy it here.
Ingredients
- 4 cups (512 g) unbleached all-purpose or bread flour
- 2 teaspoons (10 g) kosher salt
- 2 cups (454 g) lukewarm water (made by mixing 1.5 cups cold water with 0.5 cup boiling water)
- 2 teaspoons (8 g) sugar
- 2 teaspoons (8 g) instant yeast, I love SAF Instant Yeast, see notes below
- room temperature butter, about 2 tablespoons
Instructions
- Mixing the dough: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, and instant yeast (I love SAF Instant Yeast). Add the water. Mix until the flour is absorbed. (If you are using active dry yeast, see notes below.)
- Let it rise. Cover bowl with a tea towel or plastic wrap and set aside in a warm spot to rise for at least an hour. (In the winter or if you are letting the bread rise in a cool place, it might take as long as two hours to rise.) This is how to create a slightly warm spot for your bread to rise in: Turn the oven on at any temperature (350ºF or so) for one minute, then turn it off. Note: Do not allow the oven to get up to 300ºF, for example, and then heat at that setting for 1 minute — this will be too hot. Just let the oven preheat for a total of 1 minute — it likely won’t get above 100ºF. The goal is to just create a slightly warm environment for the bread.
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Grease two 1-qt or 1.5-qt oven-safe bowls (see notes below) with about a tablespoon of butter each. Using two forks, punch down your dough, scraping it from the sides of the bowl, which it will be clinging to. As you scrape it down try to pull the dough toward the center (see video below for guidance). You want to loosen the dough entirely from the sides of the bowl, and you want to make sure you’ve punched it down. Then, take your two forks and divide the dough into two equal portions — eye the center of the mass of dough, and starting from the center and working out, pull the dough apart with the two forks. Then scoop up each half and place into your prepared bowls. This part can be a little messy — the dough is very wet and will slip all over the place. Using small forks or forks with short tines makes this easier — my small salad forks work best; my dinner forks make it harder. It’s best to scoop it up fast and plop it in the bowl in one fell swoop. Some people like to use flexible, plastic dough scrapers for this step.
- Let the dough rise again for about 20 to 30 minutes on the countertop near the oven (or near a warm spot) or until it has risen to just below or above (depending on what size bowl you are using) the top of the bowls. (Note: Do not do the warm-oven trick for the second rise, and do not cover your bowls for the second rise. Simply set your bowls on top of your oven, so that they are in a warm spot. Twenty minutes in this spot usually is enough for my loaves.)
- Bake it. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375º and bake for 15 to 17 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and turn the loaves onto cooling racks. If you’ve greased the bowls well, the loaves should fall right out onto the cooling racks. If the loaves look a little pale and soft when you’ve turned them out onto your cooling racks, place the loaves into the oven (outside of their bowls) and let them bake for about 5 minutes longer. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before cutting.
Notes
- The bowls: The cheapest, most widely available 1-qt bowl is the Pyrex 322. Update: These bowls are becoming harder to find and more expensive. As a result, I’m suggesting this cheaper option: the Pyrex 3-piece set. You can split the dough in half as always (see recipe) and bake half in the 1-quart bowl and half in the 1.5 quart bowl. The loaves will not be the same shape, but they will be delicious nonetheless.
- Yeast: I buy SAF Instant Yeast in bulk from Amazon I store it in my fridge or freezer, and it lasts forever. If you are using the packets of yeast (the kind that come in the 3-fold packets), just go ahead and use a whole packet — It’s 2.25 teaspoons. I have made the bread with active dry, rapid rise, and instant yeast, and all varieties work. The beauty of instant yeast is that there is no need to “proof” it — you can add the yeast directly to the flour. I never use active-dry yeast anymore.
- If you have active-dry yeast on hand and want to use it, here’s how: In a small mixing bowl, dissolve the sugar into the water. Sprinkle the yeast over top. There is no need to stir it up. Let it stand for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the mixture is foamy and/or bubbling just a bit — this step will ensure that the yeast is active. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. When the yeast-water-sugar mixture is foamy, stir it up, and add it to the flour bowl. Mix until the flour is absorbed.
- Troubleshooting: You can find step-by-step video instruction here.
- Several commenters have had trouble with the second rise, and this seems to be caused by the shape of the bowl they are letting the dough rise in the second time around. Two hours for the second rise is too long. If you don’t have a 1-qt bowl, bake 3/4 of the dough in a loaf pan and bake the rest off in muffin tins or a popover pan. The second rise should take no more than 30 minutes.
- Also, you can use as many as 3 cups of whole wheat flour, but the texture changes considerably. I suggest trying with all all-purpose or bread flour to start and once you get the hang of it, start trying various combinations of whole wheat flour and/or other flours.
- The single most important step you can take to make this bread truly foolproof is to invest in a digital scale. This one costs under $10. If you are not measuring by weight, do this: scoop flour into the measuring cup using a separate spoon or measuring cup; level off with a knife. The flour should be below the rim of the measuring cup.
- Here’s a printable version of this recipes that’s less wordy: Peasant Bread Recipe, Simplified
- How to Bake the Peasant Bread in a Dutch Oven: Preheat a Dutch Oven for 45 minutes at 450ºF. Dust a clean work surface with flour. After the first rise, turn the dough out onto the floured surface and shape it into a ball: I like to fold it envelope style from top to bottom, then side to side; then I flip it over and use the pinkie edges of my hands to pinch the dough underneath and create some tension. Transfer the dough to a sheet of parchment paper. Let rest for 20 minutes. If you feel your dough is spreading too much you can lift up the sheet of parchment paper, dough and all, and place it in a bowl of a similar size. After the 20 minutes, transfer the dough, parchment paper and all to the Dutch oven. Carefully cover it. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover. Bake 15 minutes more.
- To bake the peasant bread in a loaf pan: If you are using an 8.5×4.5-inch loaf pan or a 9×5-inch loaf pan, you can bake 3/4 of the dough in it; bake off the rest of the dough in ramekins or other small vessels … the mini loaves are so cute. You can also make 1.5x the recipe, and bake the bread in 2 loaf pans. If you have a large loaf pan, such as a 10×6-inch loaf pan, you can bake off the entire batch of dough in it. For loaf pans, bake at 375ºF for 45 minutes.
- How to Bake at Hight Altitude:
- First try the original recipe as written (preferably with a scale). You may not need to make any adjustments. One commenter, who lives at 9200 ft finds the original recipe to work just fine as is.
- If the original recipe doesn’t work, try adding a little bit more water because it rises fast and it is so dry: about a quarter cup for every 512 g of flour.
- Try decreasing the yeast to 1.5 teaspoons.
- If your dough is especially gooey, try decreasing the water by 1/4 cup. But, if you aren’t using a scale, my first suggestion would be to buy a scale and weigh the flour, and make the bread once as directed with the 2 cups water and 512 grams flour, etc.
- Punch the dough down twice before transferring it to the buttered Pyrex bowls. In other words, let it rise for 1-1.5 hours, punch it down, let it rise again for about an hour, punch it down, then transfer it to the buttered bowls.
- Variations:
- #1. Cornmeal. Substitute 1 cup of the flour with 1 cup of cornmeal. Proceed with the recipe as directed.
- #2. Faux focaccia. Instead of spreading butter in two Pyrex bowls in preparation for baking, butter one 9×9-inch glass baking dish and one Pyrex bowl or just butter one large 9×13-inch Pyrex baking dish. If using two vessels, divide the dough in half and place each half in prepared baking pan. If using only one large baking dish, place all of the dough in the dish. Drizzle dough with 1 tablespoon of olive oil (if using the small square pan) and 2 tablespoons of olive oil (if using the large one). Using your fingers, gently spread the dough out so that it fits the shape of the pan. Use your fingers to create dimples in the surface of the dough. Sprinkle surface with chopped rosemary and sea salt. Let rise for 20 to 30 minutes. Bake for 15 minutes at 425ºF and 17 minutes (or longer) at 375ºF. Remove from pan and let cool on cooling rack.
- #3. Thyme Dinner Rolls
- #4 Gluten-free
- #5. Everything Bagel Seasoning Bread. Simply coat the buttered bowls with Everything Bagel Seasoning. Watch a how-to on Instagram Stories here.
- #6: Whole Wheat Peasant Bread. Use as much as 50% whole wheat flour. I like King Arthur Flour’s white whole wheat flour (see this post) or sprouted wheat flour (see this post).
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 32 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
6,402 Comments on “My Mother’s Peasant Bread: The Best Easiest Bread You Will Ever Make”
Easiest bread ever!! And do good! First time I’ve made bread and it actually turned out and tastes amazing!!
Yay 🍞🍞🍞😍😍😍
So I have an old Pyrex 1.5qt bowl but the only 1qt. bowl I have is the Pampered Chef mixing bowl. Has anyone tried this? They are oven safe. Attempting to make this today 🙂
The Pampered Chef bowl will work! As always, butter it well 😍😍😍
Hi! I am super excited to try this, I will be using my two loaf pans til I can find my bowls in storage. I did have a question, do you have an alternative for making this Sourdough? We love fresh sourdough. Thanks!
Hi Amanda! This is my sourdough adaptation of the recipe: Simple Sourdough Sandwich Bread
If you don’t have kosher salt, you can use table salt. 2 tsps kosher salt is equivalent to approximately 7/8 tsp of table salt. If you use 2 tsp. table salt, your bread will be too salty to enjoy.
Are you aware of any modifications needed for high-altitude? I’m at about 6,000 feet. Thanks!
Oops, sorry. I just saw the high altitude tips! You can ignore my question!
😍
Hello! I made this bread today, so so so so good.
I had some trouble and wanted advice. I had to use active yeast and it bubbled as it should and I added to bread flour/salt.
Proofed it for one hour, and it rose in size but it was so runny that I couldn’t separate with forks, it just kept running back together. So I just poured into two 1-qt Pyrex and let rise for 20 more min. It did rise some but didn’t rise to/above the rim but I baked as is.
It was delicious but didn’t rise like it should. Sooo, do you think I should have proofed it longer? Or any ideas on what to do next time?
Hi Hannah! It sounds as though you just need to reduce the water a bit. Are you using a scale to measure the flour? Do you live in a humid area? I generally recommend a 1.5-2 hour first rise now, and then the second rise is totally by sight: as soon as the dough crowns the rim. stick it in the oven.
Hi! Trying to have this with a soup tomorrow night!
I’ve made this recipe before and I love it!
I’m wondering if I can bake it in my Le Creuset Dutch Oven.
Also, since that pan is over 7 quarts, could I keep the bread as 1 loaf?
Thanks so much!
Karen
Hi Karen! Yes, absolutely, keep it as 1 loaf, and just be sure to butter the Dutch Oven well. If you want to do the preheated Dutch Oven method, which creates that thick crust, there are instructions below the recipe in the notes section. Happy Baking!
I only have a 4qt Pyrex bowl! 🙁 will that work?
Yes! The second rise will be a little harder to gauge because the bowl will be big and it won’t look as thought the dough is making progress, but I think if you let the second rise go 30 minutes, you’ll be fine.
This might be a dumb question, but how should I store these loaves (assuming I don’t devour them all in one go)?
Not dumb!
If you want to store the bread at room temperature for 3 to 4 days, I think the best method is in a ziplock bag. I’ve tried other reusable/environmentally friendly options, but nothing seems to keep bread freshest — the crumb the softest — better than a ziplock bag.
If you intend to keep the bread for longer, I would stick the ziplock bag in the freezer, and pull out slices or hunks as you wish. I often slice bread as soon as it cools completely, transfer the slices to a ziplock bag, then freeze. This way, I know the bread was frozen at its freshest.
A ziplock bag will not prevent the crust of bread from turning soft, which is why I suggest always reheating day-old bread. I use a toaster at breakfast for slices of bread, and I reheat half or quarter loaves in the oven at 350ºF for 15 to 20 minutes when serving for dinner.
Bread revives so beautifully in the oven or toaster.
We’ve been making this nonstop since quarantine. My family of six can eat the two loaves in one day!
Going to try the gluten free next.
But I’m also wondering about adding oatmeal to this recipe. Can I? How would I?
Hi Sarah! I have an oatmeal-maple variation in my cookbook, Bread Toast Crumbs, but it’s also online … hooray! Google: “Vanilla and Bean Oatmeal Maple Bread.”
Hi! I haven’t made this yet, worried I might not be equipped. I have a spring pan (9 in), an 8 in cast iron, a 10 in cast iron, and a 10×7 glass baking dish. Will any of these work? I’m also worried I don’t have a mixing bowl large enough, all I have is the one for my kitchen aid.
Kitchen aid mixing bowl will definitely work! I might go for the 10×7 glass baking dish… don’t split the dough. The shape will not at all look like what you see in the photos, but that doesn’t matter. Taste will still be great.
Just wondering if you could bake the bread in the mixing bowl as an ’emergency’ option?
Hi Kathy! You would need to clean the bowl first and butter it will or the bread will totally stick to it. What size is it, and what material?
Thank you so much!!
While we are “in shelter” with the kids and my wife is working via online, I decided to try this recipe and wow!! I actually made bread and my kids loved it. It’s not great for my low carb diet but it is really delicious.
So happy to hear this, Scott 🍞🍞🍞🎉🎉🎉
Hello!
First time making this bread and the dough was really dry after adding the 2 cups of water. I added a bit more…is this ok? I did weigh out my flour – King Arthur Bread flour. Thanks in advance for any advice!
Yes, definitely OK to add more water. Interesting it was so dry! Bread flour definitely makes for a dryer dough than ap flour, but I’m surprised it was so dry. I also weigh the water now: 456 g.
I also had this same issue with the dough being super dry after adding the 2 cups, measured to the 456 g. I`m an avid baker and make all different types of bread weekly so I found this interesting that it was dry with standard AP flour. I ended up adding an extra 3 tablespoons of water…
Did it turn out OK in the end? You can definitely up the water amount as needed to get the dough the right consistency.
I haven’t made bread since I was little but I remember my grandmother actually punching the bread down with her fist. My dough is on the first rise right now and I just watched the video with punching down with forks. I didn’t see any punching just pulling from sides and separating in two. Is there any actual punching?
I figured it out and they’re perfect and perfectly delicious!!
No punching, just forks! Glad you figured it out, and I’m so glad the bread turned out well 😍😍😍
This recipe looks great. What size loaf pan would you recommend if using 3/4 of the dough to make a loaf. 8×4 or 9×5 or does it not matter. Have very limited flour left with these crazy times.
I would do 8×4, but honestly either would work. The flour shortages are so troubling! Happy baking!
Thank you!
What sensational bread! It’s been life changing for my family of four. We are obsessed with your bread and make it weekly because we can’t live without it! Thank you for generously sharing with us all! Question: Can this bread be frozen once cooked? Or alternatively can the dough be frozen?
So happy to hear this, Brittany! Yes, definitely freeze post cooking. I like to slice it and freeze it in bundles, which I’ll take out for morning toast. I also like to cut one loaf into quarters and freeze those quarters wrapped individually, which I’ll take out for dinner. You can freeze the dough unbaked, too: after the first rise, when you “punch” it down with the forks. Transfer that portion to an airtight container and freeze. You can thaw it in the fridge when you are ready (it might take 2 days) or at room temperature for about a day.
I first starting baking this bread years ago. I absolutely love it.
I actually triple the recipe, then divide it up at the end of the first rise into 4 or 5 baking dishes. I use loaf pans and little casserole dishes.
I freeze all but one loaf. I just wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze. I usually take them out the night before, and let them thaw on the counter.
I’ve also thawed them in the oven on a low temp when in a pinch.
No one can ever tell they were previously frozen.
Love this, Amanda 🙂 🙂 🙂
I do not usually comment on recipes, but this was SO FREAKING GOOD! I don’t really like breads that fall apart easily, but this was so chewy and delicious! Probably one of the best breads I have ever made- particularly when considering the effort to time ratio. This is going to become a regular recipe for me. I made a .75 recipe and baked in a silicone loaf tin, and sprinkled some everything bagel seasoning on top. I am so excited to make this again!
So happy to hear this, Sam!! 🎉🎉🎉🍞🍞🍞
I just made this bread today after reading so many posts about it. The buzz is for real. Bread came out delicious with soft chewy center that’s perfectly seasoned and crispy crust. Thanks for the recipe. Glad your mom decided to share it. Now there’ll be lots of satisfied bread lover.
So happy to hear this, Mimi 🙂 🙂 🙂
Can I use Pyrex Storage bowls to bake the bread? They are oven safe. One is 1 qt and another is 1.75 qt. The shape might not be ideal, but I don’t have many other options. Thank you!!
Absolutely!
Just in case anyone else is wondering, 1 qt Pyrex food storage bowls work! Maybe not quite as pretty but the bread tastes delicious and came out great.
So great to hear this, Emily!
I made this last week with rapid rise yeast and it came out great! But, now I can’t find rapid rise anywhere (everyone is baking bread while stuck at home). So, I got active dry yeast. How do I modify the recipe to use active dry yeast? Thanks!
So great to hear this, Barbara! This note can be found in the recipe box for future notice 😍😍😍:
If you have active-dry yeast on hand and want to use it, here’s how: In a small mixing bowl, dissolve the sugar into the water. Sprinkle the yeast over top. There is no need to stir it up. Let it stand for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the mixture is foamy and/or bubbling just a bit — this step will ensure that the yeast is active. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. When the yeast-water-sugar mixture is foamy, stir it up, and add it to the flour bowl. Mix until the flour is absorbed.
Thank you again! Sorry for missing that detail in the recipe box.
😍😍😍
Hi Alexandra
The only flour I can get right now is hard unbleached. Will this work in this recipe and your other recipes that call for all purpose flour? Will I need to make any alterations?
Thanks Nancy
I think it should be fine Nancy! If you find that the dough is looking dry compared to the photos, you may need to add a little water, but I honestly don’t think you’ll need to. Are you using a scale to measure the flour?
Yes I use a scale to measure flour ! Would it be the same weight using hard flour ? 512 gm?
Hello Alexandra
Would bread flour (hard) measure the same weight as all purpose flour for this recipe ?
512 gm?
Thanks
Nancy
Yes!
Yes!
I had issues with the 2nd rise. I decided to let it rise for a total of 40 minutes. When the dough still wasn’t at the recommended level, I was concerned about “about proofing” so I went ahead a baked it.
The bread is DELICIOUS — it doesn’t look very nice, but it tastes great. The texture is good, the crust is nice — but the loaves are pretty squat!
I suspect the size of the bowls was too large. I’ll make this recipe again – and use smaller bowls!
So happy to hear this! I suspect it was the size of the bowls: what size are they?
They are from a nested set I’ve had for years – clear pyrex – but sizes are not known. I used the 2nd and 3rd largest. The dough didn’t rise even to the edge of the 3rd largest so I’ll go down from that size next time. I could have continued to let the dough rise – but I was concerned about over-proofing. First loaf is already gone!
Got it! Thanks for the update. Keep us posted on how it works with the smaller bowls.
I look forward to trying this as soon as I can get to the store for the yeast. I clicked the old link about the Princess Bowls, but sadly it had expired. Are you talking about these? I have a set of the, but since they are vintage I’m not sure I want to put them in the oven.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/718006080/blue-pyrex-444-4-qt-princess-bowl?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=pyrex+princess+bowls&ref=sr_gallery-1-6&organic_search_click=1&frs=1
Oh thanks for letting me know! I just fixed the link. Yes, those are the bowls, and I have safely/successfully baked with them.
Thank you. I’ll go check out my Etsy cart. 😉
Then to the store for yeast.
There will be bread tonight! 😀
Yay 🙂 🙂 🙂
It was first time I tried to bake a bread. To my surprise it turned out to be extremely good. My husband compared to any exclusive outlet n my son kept eating it..
Loved that you shared the recipe. Thank you
So happy to hear this, Paromita!
My dough is about halfway through its first rise now and I’ve been reading through the comments while I wait–very excited! I have the vintage Pyrex 441 (1.5) pt and 443 (2.5 qt), but since I only have one of each, I decided I’ll use the bigger 443 this time.
I’m already thinking about the next time I make this…I have a brand new sourdough starter that I’ve been feeding for a few days (it’s looking really good now!) and I was wondering if I could use it in this recipe. Could I replace the (instant) yeast with some starter (or use some of both)? If so, how much should I use of the yeast and starter? I’m brand new to this, so I’ll appreciate any advice.
Thank you so much for sharing!
Wonderful to hear this, Kevin! I would follow the instructions on this post, which is essentially the peasant bread recipe adapted to sourdough: https://alexandracooks.com/2019/04/17/easy-sourdough-sandwich-or-toasting-bread/
I used Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour and Fleishmann’s Bread Machine instant yeast, and the bread turned out beautifully, and delicious. This recipe was so easy! Definitely a keeper in our household. Even my non-GF husband was impressed. I see that there is a different gluten free recipe, but I don’t see a need for the extra ingredients/modifications based on this experience. Thank you so much for sharing!
So great to hear this, Hillary!
I am sure this has been asked but I could not find it when searching the comments. Can you make half the recipe. I have one 1 qt Pyrex.
Thanks.
Yes, absolutely!
I have made these loaves and they came out fantastic!
Question: Since we are low on flour and supplies these days, do you think I can half the recipe to make just one loaf? eg. 2 cups flour vs. the 4 cups of precious stuff 😉
Thanks!
So happy to hear this, Stacey! And yes, absolutely.
HI love this bread ! Want to try baking in two 1.5 qt bowls So when I make 1.5 X the recipe do I increase the yeast by 1.5 as well?
Thanks Maura
Hi love this bread ! I want to use 1.5 qt bowls so my question is when I increase recipe by 1.5 Should I increasing the yeast as well?
Thanks
Hi Maura! No need to increase the yeast: 2 teaspoons of instant or active-dry yeast will be plenty. If you’re using a packet (2.25 teaspoons) just use the whole thing. Happy baking!
Hi just wanted to say the bread is delicious. I have the green and white nesting Pyrex with flowers. Are they ok to use? They have 441 & 442 on the bottom I just didn’t know because of the colors and flowers. Thank you for the recipe.
So happy to hear this, Lisa! Yes you can use the #441 and #442. They make the nicest shape loaf because the inside of the bowl is totally smooth.